Larger battles have a higher initial Battle Intensity, with huge being 30.

Given as how the two collapse points are set at 0 for the enemy army and 40 for your own doesn't that just have the effect of meaning that in a huge battle your own army is that much closer to defeat?

Or have I missed something, which is very plausible.

Larger battles have a higher initial Battle Intensity, with huge being 30.

Given as how the two collapse points are set at 0 for the enemy army and 40 for your own doesn't that just have the effect of meaning that in a huge battle your own army is that much closer to defeat?

Or have I missed something, which is very plausible.


Yes, but it is not as disabling as it appears.

First, there are only a few Huge battles.
Remember that in a Huge battle the best men are there, and lots and lots of others as well.
The tension is high, the stakes are high, the risk is high.

This kind of Intensity will quickly overwhelm a Unit that does not fight smart.
At the start of the battle the disengaged modifier of -20 is a great boost to the first charge, but right afterward the Unit Intensity will easily have a critical success against you.
Fight smart = Charge, withdraw, Charge again.
Watch for Opportunity.

Eh, if the battle starts at intensity 25 (Medium or larger battle) the army will immediately retreat...

Might I suggest to implement the high stakes of these large battle to have +5/+10 to UNIT intensity instead of Battle Intensity, because it would be weird to immediately withdraw from any large battle on the first round.

fg,
Thijs

Eh, if the battle starts at intensity 25 (Medium or larger battle) the army will immediately retreat...

Withdraw isn't really a retreat (in order to flee the battle...). I understand it as a natural mouvement of the median line that separate the 2 adversaries : your army is outpassed by the force of your opponent, so, you withdraw in order to be more efficient against them, and why not, to push forward them later...

I think I agree with the spirit of Murt's post.

Page 6 of BoB states "If Battle Intensity is 25, your army begins a Retreat."

Page 79 defines Retreat as "any move back 1 Zone, whether voluntary (withdraw, run away maneuvers) or not (recoil 1 Zone or move back 1 Zone results)"

In my opinion Withdrawing is not giving up, but is apparently frequently used and is a great way to prepare for another charge. In this thread (http://www.gspendragon.com/roundtable/index.php?topic=461.msg3481#msg3481) Greg States that "Fight smart = Charge, withdraw, Charge again". This is probably applicable on an army level as well.

Thanks for the responses.

I agree that the battle should be more dangerous for the Player Knights and for their army to be further away from winning but I must admit to steal feeling uncertain about the Player's army being automatically closer to loosing.

The "obvious" solution appears to be to perhaps up the Intensity required for the player's army to loose so that the starting intensity it always half way between them.

However that could do horrible things to the mechanics, and perhaps when you're actually gaming through a bigger battle it all works out.

Might I suggest to implement the high stakes of these large battle to have +5/+10 to UNIT intensity instead of BATTLE Intensity, that way its more dangerous for players but not more likely for the army to loose.

fg,
Thijs

AND OF COURSE FOR CLARIFICATION WHEN Greg says Charge WITHDRAW charge, you are strategically withdrawing for one reason only...Because its the ONLY way to allow mounted knights to get their lance charge again, which is of course their most effective combat form. Let the infantrymen get mired down in shield walls and trampled in the mud! Your a knight baby!!!!!! U dont need that garbage! hahahahahahahahh ;)

I agree with Thijs, that the maximum battle intensity should be 20 and that it is better to increase the unit intensity, but I want to expand on that a little.

My solution is to

1. I would add 5 Unit intensity in Medium battles to the Killing Zone and Enemy 2nd rank zone.

2. In Large or Huge Battles I would add 10 to the Killing Zone and to the Enemy 2nd rank zones and 5 to the zones next to that.

Why not apply the modifier evenly over the battlefield? Because if you ever want to do anything but charge and withdraw in a big battle it is good with a zone that normally has 20 in unit intensity. There are so many nice attack options in the system, that cannot be used in bigger battles if you will be thrown out of the combat zone unless you charge every other round, eg if the 3rd rank has an intensity of 30 the unit intensity will crit half the time even there and force you to withdraw out of battle when two enemy units come crashing in. (And where do 2 enemy units come from in our 3rd rank anyway?)

(I would even suggest to lower the 2nd enemy rank to also +5 (total 35) in huge battles to make it at least theoretically possible to push through the lines even in an unscripted battle. With the intensity rising on average 0,5 each round, it is very very hard to push through two zones of 40 unit intensity as you will be critted to a standstill even if you start out with a triumph charge + a critted next battleroll.)

Goodnight G.

Eh, if the battle starts at intensity 25 (Medium or larger battle) the army will immediately retreat...

Withdraw isn't really a retreat (in order to flee the battle...). I understand it as a natural mouvement of the median line that separate the 2 adversaries : your army is outpassed by the force of your opponent, so, you withdraw in order to be more efficient against them, and why not, to push forward them later...


Correct.

I will say this again:

play it first, then tinker.

I am not above changing anything,a s you know.
But you guys are just blowing theory here.
I KNOW you haven't played it a lot.

--g